As a huge football fan who's currently avidly following Euro 2008 (Forza Italia!! ), I can't wait to see what people recommend in this thread.

I have 2 titles to contribute, myself, although I haven't read either of them yet.

There's a book by Samantha Winston called A Grand Passion, where the hero is an Italian football player. It's from Ellora's Cave, IIRC, and I've heard good things about it.

Then the other one that comes to mind is Baby, Baby, by Kylie Adams. The hero's an Australian who used to play for Manchester Utd. However, I don't know how "real" the football would be in this one... the review here at AAR mentions it has the hero winning the World Cup with Man. Utd. (although it IS mentioned this was an ARC and this detail might have been corrected later)._________________My Reading Journal
http://rosario.blogspot.com

As a huge football fan who's currently avidly following Euro 2008 (Forza Italia!! ), I can't wait to see what people recommend in this thread.

...

Then the other one that comes to mind is Baby, Baby, by Kylie Adams. The hero's an Australian who used to play for Manchester Utd. However, I don't know how "real" the football would be in this one... the review here at AAR mentions it has the hero winning the World Cup with Man. Utd. (although it IS mentioned this was an ARC and this detail might have been corrected later).

Ahhh... Is there anything better for eye-candy than football (refuse to call it soccer) players. I'm just praying for rain and mud and white shirts/shorts [yum yum]...

Rosario - I'm sorry to have to say this to you as you otherwise seem like a really nice and reasonable person but, come on, ITALY??!!! [Unless, of course, you're Italian in which case you can't help it. Poor thing.]

Kylie Adams' book sounds just awful. Not just making such an elementary but whopping huge error but, also having a Man U player as a hero... Doesn't really say much about the rest of the book, methinks.

Will have a look at the Ellora's Cave book, though. Need something to cheer me up after that disastrous France/Netherlands game [sob].

As for romances starring football players - can't really see how that would work. Maybe it's just an English stereotype thing but despite all the worship they get on the pitch, they're pretty much treated as a mentally challenged jokes off of it. Great for eye candy and celebrity mag gossip, but not to be taken seriously as romance hero material.

Or maybe I've been watching too much "Footballers Wives"..._________________"Socialism to help sick people - bad.
Socialism to help billionaires - good."

Ahhh... Is there anything better for eye-candy than football (refuse to call it soccer) players. I'm just praying for rain and mud and white shirts/shorts [yum yum]...

Rosario - I'm sorry to have to say this to you as you otherwise seem like a really nice and reasonable person but, come on, ITALY??!!! [Unless, of course, you're Italian in which case you can't help it. Poor thing.]

As for romances starring football players - can't really see how that would work. Maybe it's just an English stereotype thing but despite all the worship they get on the pitch, they're pretty much treated as a mentally challenged jokes off of it. Great for eye candy and celebrity mag gossip, but not to be taken seriously as romance hero material.

I'm more American in my sports interests, and your football is my soccer (also, I'm not a fan of the beautiful game, which never struck me as that beautiful). But I do pay attention:

1. Eye candy depends on who they're playing for. I remember watching the 2002 World Cup and thinking that one of the national sides (see? I can speak your language ) looked like it was made up of everyone who showed up at the local casting session for The Lord of the Rings. But Rosario is on to something with the Italians - if only they wouldn't play in such a mind-numbingly boring way.

2. I support teams based on the time-honored Israeli tradition, according to which everyone must like Holland and beyond that you can do as you please, though Denmark and England are also not frowned upon. I have been known to pick whoever has the best-looking players or the best sounding names.

3. I can't think of any romance novels with soccer/football players and the Special Title Listings had plenty of athletes but no soccer at all.

4. I see your point, CD, what with the WAGs, the X-rated Christmas parties, Wayne Rooney's assorted misadventures, etc. But I hardly think that kind of behavior is limited to the Premier League and certainly there's all sorts of similar stuff going on in American sports (I remember one professional athlete who had 7 kids by 6 different women by the time he was 28...). Still, it's not necessarily typical of all players, and I can suspend my disbelief enough to buy into some romances (e.g. SEP's Chicago Stars books being a good example) because there are plenty of good guys out there who are fairly smart as well. And good looking.

I'm more American in my sports interests, and your football is my soccer (also, I'm not a fan of the beautiful game, which never struck me as that beautiful). But I do pay attention:

1. Eye candy depends on who they're playing for. I remember watching the 2002 World Cup and thinking that one of the national sides (see? I can speak your language ) looked like it was made up of everyone who showed up at the local casting session for The Lord of the Rings (hint: CD, they're not your friends). But Rosario is on to something with the Italians - if only they wouldn't play in such a mind-numbingly boring way.

Why? Were they all short or something? That would be a laugh.

My dislike of Italy is mostly from how they STOLE the last World Cup from the team who must deserved to win. [grrrr] Still a mite annoyed about that.

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2. I support teams based on the time-honored Israeli tradition, according to which everyone must like Holland and beyond that you can do as you please, though Denmark and England are also not frowned upon. I have been known to pick whoever has the best-looking players or the best sounding names.

With you there, Yuri. If England or France aren't playing, I either go for looks or whichever team is playing against the people I'm with - lot more fun that way! Or else, countries I've lived or worked in who don't have a chance in hell of winning. Lot more frustrating that way...

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4. I see your point, CD, what with the WAGs, the X-rated Christmas parties, Wayne Rooney's assorted misadventures, etc. But I hardly think that kind of behavior is limited to the Premier League and certainly there's all sorts of similar stuff going on in American sports (I remember one professional athlete who had 7 kids by 6 different women by the time he was 28...). Still, it's not necessarily typical of all players, and I can suspend my disbelief enough to buy into some romances (e.g. SEP's Chicago Stars books being a good example) because there are plenty of good guys out there who are fairly smart as well. And good looking.

Well, my knowledge of American Football derives pretty exclusively from SEP's books so to my mind, all American football players are smart, funny, great in bed, considerate and all round nice guys. However, having been saturated with celeb gossip on the latest asinine doings of our footballing "heroes" since birth, I just don't think I could read a romance featuring one without having lurid pictures of the latest episode of Footballers Wives in my head._________________"Socialism to help sick people - bad.
Socialism to help billionaires - good."

As a wannabe WAG (kidding... sort of ) I wish I could think of some titles to contribute to this thread, but I can't. I haven't been able to get into Euro 2008 since England didn't qualify, but the Italians choking is giving me some solace. Anyway, I would read the Kylie Adams rec but... United winning the World Cup?! A mistake like that, even corrected, makes me want to stab somebody.

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also having a Man U player as a hero... Doesn't really say much about the rest of the book, methinks.

Hey now! Diehard United supporter over here... _________________"Excuse me," said an icy voice from the bed. "I'm frigging bleeding to death. Mathilda can go tip a pike." -- Derek Craven, Dreaming of You

LOL! But that's a lie... Robert wouldn't do that to me. _________________"Excuse me," said an icy voice from the bed. "I'm frigging bleeding to death. Mathilda can go tip a pike." -- Derek Craven, Dreaming of You

Ahhh... Is there anything better for eye-candy than football (refuse to call it soccer) players. I'm just praying for rain and mud and white shirts/shorts [yum yum]...

Ohhh, yeah. I still remember an England game in the 2002 World Cup... I think it was against Denmark? Lots of rain and lots of white clothing, and I'm kind of partial to big blonds :-)

CD wrote:

Rosario - I'm sorry to have to say this to you as you otherwise seem like a really nice and reasonable person but, come on, ITALY??!!! [Unless, of course, you're Italian in which case you can't help it. Poor thing.]

LOL! I'm afraid I am. Dual nationality, in fact, so I have to support Italy unless they play against Uruguay (and to be honest, I don't know which is worse).

CD wrote:

Will have a look at the Ellora's Cave book, though. Need something to cheer me up after that disastrous France/Netherlands game [sob].

Now, that one made me happy. Means we're still alive. The previous Netherlands game, OTOH, now that was disastrous, especially because I had the bright idea of watching it at a Dutch friend's place, and I was completely surrounded by orange people._________________My Reading Journal
http://rosario.blogspot.com

Ohhh, yeah. I still remember an England game in the 2002 World Cup... I think it was against Denmark? Lots of rain and lots of white clothing, and I'm kind of partial to big blonds

Oh that match is LEGENDARY! If I remember, the English wore white shorts and the Danish wore white shirts and it was raining like anything. I think woman all over the world were united in thinking that this was the best match of the tournament! Can't even remember the score of that game .

Rosario wrote:

Now, that one made me happy. Means we're still alive. The previous Netherlands game, OTOH, now that was disastrous, especially because I had the bright idea of watching it at a Dutch friend's place, and I was completely surrounded by orange people.

I was watching the Friday match with a couple of Dutch colleague who were completely in Orange with flags and everything (obviously got it all shipped over to Haiti specially) and not generally shy in expressing their malicious joy. Horrible horrible afternoon...

Looking forward to the match tomorrow, Rosario . Revenge will be sweet [evil cackle]..._________________"Socialism to help sick people - bad.
Socialism to help billionaires - good."

Guys, I'm part Dutch, and I refuse to read disparaging remarks about the boys in orange. Especially from an Italy supporter! For shame.

CD wrote:

Oh that match is LEGENDARY! If I remember, the English wore white shorts and the Danish wore white shirts and it was raining like anything. I think woman all over the world were united in thinking that this was the best match of the tournament! Can't even remember the score of that game

I have fond memories of a Brazil-Denmark match from 1998 (back when I was young, impressionable, and much more into sports than I am today). I believe it was the quarterfinals. After Brazil won, the commentators on Israeli TV thanked the Danes for the way they played, while my friends and I thanked the director and cameramen for the many generous closeups of said Danes .

There's a book by Samantha Winston called A Grand Passion, where the hero is an Italian football player. It's from Ellora's Cave, IIRC, and I've heard good things about it.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed A Grand Passion and got it in print from Amazon. It's about a young American widow who moves to Torino, Italy to study art. While there she meets a football/soccer star from the local Torino team and gets swallowed up into his world of paparazzi, fans and the press.

If you're interested, she also wrote one about a polo player on the Florida circuit titled The Argentine Lover.

One reason for the absence of soccer heroes in romance may be that for many Americans, I regret to day, soccer is a game played by elementary school children. 'Tis pity, true, but pity is, 'tis true._________________JaneO